Happy Valentines Day!

I decided a few years ago that I didn't want to give my children more candy for Valentine's day.  This year my two youngest are off track (They go to a year round school which means they go to school for nine weeks and are off for three instead of getting the summer off.) but they still end up with more sweets than I'd like them to have.  So I decided to give them books for Valentine's day - but not just any books - books they'll love or books I loved when I was young. The first year I did this I gave my oldest A Wrinkle In Time.  He loved it. I gave my daughter Anne of Green Gables a few years ago.  It turned out to be a simplified illustrated version.  I was disappointed but she liked it anyway. I checked the full version out for her from the library and it didn't interest her. I'll have to try again now that she's older.

This year I was really excited to give them their Valentine's books.  I ordered The Whisper by Emma Clayton for my almost 13 year-old son thinking it wouldn't be available until Feb 21.  To my delight it was available early! (I took the picture from Amazon.  You can't actually click the picture.  But if you go to Amazon and click the picture there, you can look inside.)

We have anxiously been waiting to this sequel to The Roar for over a year now.  My oldest checked The Roar out from the library because he liked the gun on the cover. He didn't plan to read it.  I read it and told him it was kind of like Ender's Game, which he loved.  He read The Roar and loved it too.

I knew this Valentine would be a hit - and it was.  I even got a hug.  Did I mention he's almost 13?  I love hug-worthy gifts. If you haven't read The Roar - go get it!  It is similar to Ender's Game with the simulators they use to train the children, but the rest is very original.

My daughter, who is ten, is going through an odd phase in regards to books.  She likes strange books and she likes books that give her nightmares.  She doesn't always like the books I liked when I was young and she isn't always ready to read the books I like now.  (Although I just read Tuesday's At The Castle by Jessica Day George and suggested she try it.  She's reading it now and is enjoying it.)

Anyway, I found this copy of Alice in Wonderland and thought she would like it.  The pictures come from several different artists and it contains the full text. (I checked this time.) It really is a beautiful book and she has always liked the story.  She's seen the movie but hasn't read the book.  I'm happy to say she likes it.  Part of the reason I picked it is because she likes art so much.

This book was a no-brainer.  My youngest adores Bad Kitty.  It's funny.  It contains a lot of pictures for his wandering mind.  It has challenging text for a 1st grader who reads on a 3rd grade level.  And it is about cats.  I hope Nick Bruel continues to publish more of these books.

I think my son's favorite part of the Bad Kitty books is Uncle Murray's fun facts.  My son actually uses them as reference.  Our cat thinks the tub is a great place to get a drink so he's always in the tub.  I told my son he wanted a bath.  My son ran to his room, grabbed Bad Kitty Get's a Bath, and read to me about how cats hate baths.  I gave him this new book a half an hour ago and he's already finished it. I was smart this time and got him the hard cover.  He sleeps with the books and the rest of the series is getting hashed.

Oh, and my wonderful husband got those scissors I wanted!  It's one of the most romantic gifts he's ever given me.  They're so shiny and pretty (and sharp!).  He also got me chocolate covered strawberries and paper lanterns like the ones from Tangled.  I can't wait for Spring so we can take them out somewhere and light them.  They're even bio degradable.  How cool is that?

I got my husband this music.



I made him some chocolate frogs to go along with it and some other music from the Piano Guys.

I hope everyone has a fabulous Valentine's day!  What do you get for your loved ones?